Cleaning Wastewater
By cleaning wastewater, the Facility protects our health, Bay, and economy. The San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility (Facility) cleans our wastewater before it flows into the South San Francisco Bay.

Wastewater is the water that goes down drains inside our homes and businesses from washing dishes and clothes, showering, flushing toilets, and industrial processes.

About the Facility
Built in 1956, the Facility is a round-the-clock operation that cleans an average of 110 million gallons of wastewater per day, and has the capacity to clean up to 167 million gallons per day. The Facility serves eight cities with 1.4 million residents and a business sector with more than 17,000 main sewer connections.

Our wastewater undergoes a sophisticated 10.5-hour treatment process that simulates the way nature cleans water. The Facility removes 99 percent of the impurities before the cleaned water is discharged into the South San Francisco Bay or recycled for other uses such as industrial processes, cooling towers, and flushing toilets.

The Facility is the largest advanced wastewater treatment facility in the western United States. Advanced (tertiary) level treatment is necessary to meet our region's strict state regulations for the shallow waters and sensitive ecosystem of the southern Bay.

The Facility is located on 2,600 acres at the South Bay shoreline, covering more area than twice the size of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. The site includes a 175-acre wastewater operations area, a 750-acre sludge drying area, and an 850-acre former salt production pond. The remaining acreage is open land that buffers adjacent communities from odors and hazardous operations.

This report provides a summary of the progress and accomplishments of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for the San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility (“Wastewater Facility”) for the period of November 2014.
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This report provides a summary of the progress and accomplishments of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) for the San José-Santa Clara Regional Wastewater Facility (“Wastewater Facility”) for the period of October 2014.
Read on...

The City of San Joséis committed to open and honest government and strives to consistently meet the community’s expectations by providing excellent service, in a positive and timely manner, and in the full view of the public.